zaterdag 22 februari 2014

The Nevada desert. Eye-patch Godling swings
his broadsword at our universe and time’s Godling. Godling catches the sword on
his wristbands. Sparks fly from them.

Godling kicks at Eye-patch Godling who
manages to evade the kick by jumping a few steps back. Godling attacks with a
roundhouse punch, connecting with Eye-patch Godling’s jaw. He shakes it off,
protected by the invulnerability of Achilles. Immediately the apparently
villainous Godling attacks again with the broadsword. Our Godling manages to
either catch the sword on his wristbands or to duck and weave just in time to
prevent getting hurt.

“I think you can use this one, catch!”
Bogatyr shouts and throws his sword in the air. Godling catches it. SWOOP!
SWOOSH! He makes a few practice swings.

“Not even close. I’ve got years and years
more experience than you. You’re just a baby version of me!” Eye-patch Godling
says and slashes with his sword.

Godling catches the sword on Bogatyr’s. “In
my case the fate of the world might be at stake. I’m very motivated.”

Eye-patch Godling tries to stab Godling, but our
hero manages to parry. “I’m fighting for love and the fate of the world!”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking
about.”

“After I knock you down on your ass we might
get a chance to talk,” Eye-patch Godling says and suddenly speeds up his move,
channelling the power of Hermes.

Our Godling does the same, matching every
superspeed thrust, stab and swing. Their moves are so fast the other heroes are
unable to see what is going on. They only see sparks as metal strikes metal and
feel a breeze from their swift movements. Dust is being kicked up by their
fighting.

“Can’t see who’s winning… Should I get
involved?” Bogatyr asks Sir Magick.

“Negative. The battle is winding down,”
Ninjoid says.

And indeed, the dust settles… The Godlings
stand still, breathing heavily, sporting cuts and bruises but they are still
alive and well.

“We seem to be more evenly matched than I
thought,” Eye-patch Godling says. “It seems there is something to be said for
youth against experience. And of course, that is one amazing sword you’re
carrying.”

“Da, it has been forged by me,” Bogatyr says.

“Are you tired enough to take a minute to
listen to me?” Eye-patch Godling asks his counterpart.

“Speak,” Godling says and lowers the sword.

“Good. This is an amazing story, but you
should have seen enough by now to understand it,” Eye-patch Godling said. “More
than thirty years from now a great danger will threaten the world. You know in
my world Master Destiny had enslaved all humanity. Without my son I would never
have survived. In fact, when Master Destiny had me captured and fighting in his
arena it was my son who freed me and made sure I was alive long enough to join
the other Godlings in our great battle to defeat Master Destiny in your
time-line, making sure he was defeated in mine as well.” (check out Godling
#21)

“But… How did that work out? You were
returned by the Greek Gods to your own timeline after that?”

“I was. Without Master Destiny the world was
very different from the one I left. My son didn’t exist anymore for one.”

“So I will have a son? Or at least in another
timeline?” Godling asks.

“Yes. But I fell in love with his mother
because we fought together against Master Destiny when he ruled my world. When
the timeline changed and Master Destiny was defeated before he conquered the
world my relationship with her changed.”

“Who is this woman that becomes the mother of
my son?”

“Janson, the officer you are dating.”

“What? Really?”

“It happened when we were both captured by
Master Destiny when we, together with Darlene King, Wade Hudson and some heroes
like Photon Boy and Doc Shaolin tried to invade his secret headquarters. Janson
and I were captured, while the others managed to escape. In the jail cell we shared I comforted her.
That turned into more and we made love. From that a son was born. A son with amazing powers we called Connor
but was known to the world as Godling Boy. He grew up to be every bit the hero
you and I are. Janson is an amazing woman and Connor an even more amazing boy.
I can’t live without him. That’s why I came here, to my past. I wanted to put
you two in some dire situations together so these experiences would get you to
realize how much you feel for her and for her to realize how amazing you are. I
was hoping that would result in you two ending up together again and giving
birth to Connor.”

“That’s just crazy! What were you thinking?
You’re telling me you were in fact responsible for some of the dangers I faced
the last couple of weeks?” Godling clenches his fists.

“It may sound crazy to you know, but don’t
forget, I’m just another future version of you. If you had a kid you might have
seen the logic.”

“I think the fact you are from a future where
your eye is put out and the world is enslaved by Master Destiny also has a hand
in your worldview.”

“What I’m trying to say is I would just like
you to think things over. Understand what I’m trying to tell you. You like
Janson, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. But now you’re making me doubt
if I really like her or was just manipulated into liking her by you.”

Throx sits in Bogatyr’s cave, bound by the
chains Godling forged. He smiles. “I feel the gap in reality becoming bigger. Those
heroes made a big mistake just focusing on the other-dimensional Godling. With
me still here there are two anomalies in this universe, causing the tear in
reality to get bigger and bigger. Soon it will be enough for my brothers to
follow me here.”

*

“Look at the sky!” Bogatyr says and points
toward it.

The others gaze at the sky as well. There is
a blazing orange light there. At first it looks like a sunset, then they note
the strange colour of orange it is.

That’s when the otherworldly things come through
the gap in reality.

Vikings carrying machine guns riding
dinosaurs covered with armor, zombie-elves, dragons that walk like humans and
carry scimitars fall out of the gap. Leading them are two Throx-lookalikes,
obviously the others from the Council of War and Science, carrying glowing
staffs.

“The Council of War and Science and their
army!” Godling yells.

“We’ve been so stupid,” Sir Magick laments.
“We shouldn’t have allowed that Throx bugger in our universe. That probably
only served to widen the gap in reality.”

“Da, but we have to face the results of that
now,” Bogatyr says and draws two daggers.

Eye-patch Godling readies his sword. “So it
seems.”

Battle-ready the heroes stand before the
otherworldly invaders who outnumber them in size and numbers.

“Surrender so we can conquer your world and
we will only make you slaves,” one of the Council says.

maandag 10 februari 2014

A helicopter lands at the Pentagon. Perlin and Captain
Daniels get out, joined by Godling.

“So your headquarters is located here?” Godling says.

“Yeah,” Daniels says. “Under here.”

They pass heavily armed guards, Daniels tells them Godling is with them
and they are allowed inside the Pentagon. They enter an elevator.

Daniels presses a number of
buttons in rapid succession and the elevator zooms down.

“Welcome to Homeland Security’s Special Division,” Daniels says as the
elevator door opens.

They enter a huge room filled with big monitors, hundreds of computers
and hundreds of uniformed men working behind them.

“Here we monitor potential threats to the security of the USA,” Daniels
says. “And of course we develop countermeasures like the Agent Destruction
serum.”

“In other words, the stuff that made me into to the stone-skinned mutant
you fought,” Perlin tells Godling.

“Looks impressive,” Godling admits. The monitors show pictures of wars
fought in various countries, several historical landmarks around the world and
even some heroes like Ninjoid and Doc Proton fighting bad guys.

“Let me show you what these monitors picked up a few days ago. That will
make you a lot clearer why we wanted that kid,” Daniels says.

“Please do. I have the inclination to trust my government, but this
whole affair made me doubt it.”

Daniels pushed a few buttons on one of the many computers in the room
and the picture on one of the screens changed.

It shows the young boy that had been kidnapped crossing the street as a
truck comes speeding at him. The driver doesn’t seem to spot him, either drunk
or busy with his cell phone or something.

Godling screams “NO!”

The screen shows the boy turning to face the truck, a blast coming from
his eyes completely disintegrating the truck, leaving nothing but ashes. Then
the boy runs away as fast as his feet can carry him, shocked and afraid.

“How did he do that?” Godling asks.

“We think this boy is a Hybridian,” Daniels explains.

“A what?”

“You know those stories about alien abductions? Well, they’re real. Very
real. Some aliens even got our earthwomen pregnant. These half alien hybrids we
call Hybridians. Some are just deformed, some die upon childbirth. And some…
Just a very few… Have these incredible powers. Young Akeem there is one of the
most powerful we’ve ever spotted.”

“The Men In Black, hiding all evidence of aliens? Area 51? All true as
well,” Daniels says.

“And here I thought they were all crackpot theories. On the other hand,
if Greek Gods are real, why wouldn’t they…”

“Yeah, it’s a lot to swallow all at once but after a while nothing
surprises you. I mean, it’s studying and experimenting with that alien genetics
that created the serum they inject me with that makes me able to turn into
Agent Destruction,” Perlin says.

“And these terrorists?” Godling asks.

“When we first spotted Akeem’s powers we were afraid Al-Qaida would get
their hands on him, with his heritage and all…” Daniels says.

“Wait a minute… Isn’t that a tad racist?” Godling wonders aloud.

“I’m trying to keep the country safe. When I think that includes racial
profiling so be it,” Daniels explains.

I really don’t like this guy, Godling thinks. But if he can help me save
that boy I will have to work with him for now.

“Anyway… Turned out the Phoenix Group beat the towelheads to the punch.
They’re a relatively small group but growing fast and with some very wealthy
backers. They seem to employ some technology that has some alien roots. In
fact, we worry they have a spy within our Special Division,” Daniel says.

“I can imagine that has you worried. What’s their goal?”

“These crazies believe in destroying our world so the Phoenix-like deity
they worship can recreate it in its own image. They themselves will be reborn
as superhuman versions of themselves. Crazy as hell.”

“The gods I met make that idea not that crazy. Disturbing and evil, but
not crazy,” Godling says.

Perlin laughs. “The hero has a point.”

“Yeah, yeah… Are you actually trying to tell me you really are some kind
of prophet sent by the Olympians?” Daniels says.

“Is that so hard to believe after the stories you just told me about
alien-human hybrids living among us?”

“And again…” Perlin chuckles.

“All right, all right,” Daniels says.

“Now, how do we find those terrorists and get the kid back to his mom,”
Godling says.

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to return that kid to his mom. With powers
like that he’ll just be to dangerous to just walk around like that,” Daniels
says.

A lightning bolt appears in Godling’s hand as his teeth grit. “Say that
again?”

“I’m sorry, Godling… But it IS my job to keep this country safe. And
that will mean we will have to keep the kid contained at Area 51.”

“Not acceptable. He’s a young boy. He needs his mother,” Godling says
and thinks, Zeus knows my own childhood got
very hard when my mom died. I don’t want anyone to grow up without a mother.

“I think it’s going to be a long time before we see eye to eye on the
subject. And all the time spent bickering on the subject might mean The Phoenix
Group gets this kid to destroy the world… So we’d better bury the hatchet until
we actually find Akeem and talk about what to do with them then,” Perlin says.

“All my men are on it right now. Shouldn’t take them long. We can access
all sattelites, all CCTV’s, all webcams… We ARE the BIGGEST Brother,” Daniels
boasts.

*

A secret base… Akeem sits on a chair, behind a table filled with
hamburgers and Cokes.

Two armed Phoenix terrorists are guarding him. A female with red hair,
dressed in a black leather dress with a big firebird emblazoned all over it
sits on the table.

“Listen, kid… We can get you all the food, all the video games, comics
or movies you want… As long as you work with us. You like girls already? We can
get those as well. Just work with us,” the woman says.

“Listen, Miss… I just want my mom,” Akeem says.

“Call me Isidore,” the woman says.

“I don’t want your food or your other gifts. Take me back to my mom. You
know what I can do to you…”

Isidore brushes the boy’s cheek. “Come on, Akeem. We all know how you
regretted killing that truck driver by accident. You’re not going to kill us.
Let me just tell you about the wonderful life that can be yours and your mom’s
if you join our Group.”

Akeem balls a fist, his eyes start to glow. “Take me back to my mother.”

Isidore sighs. “I was hoping to convince you in another way… Bring her
in.”

Two terrorists enter the room, Akeem’s mother in front of them, hands
shackled.

Akeem jumps from his chair. “MOM!”

Isidore puts a hand against the boy’s chest. “Stop. You try and use your
powers on us and your mother dies.”

Akeem stands still, tears from his eyes. “You bastards.”

“To you, maybe. But we have a higher cause you just don’t seem to be
able to understand,” Isidore says. “You destroy the target we give you, your
mom goes free.”

“Don’t listen to them!” Akeem’s mother says. A guard hits her in the
head with his gun. She falls down.

Akeem runs towards her, but is stopped by the guards, guns aimed at his
face.

“You die, she dies… Or you just destroy the target I ask you to destroy.
There’s a nuclear power plant in China which we’d like you to destroy…”

“A power plant? I may be a kid but I’m not stupid… The destruction that
will mean…”

Isidore smiles. “Yes, yes… Isn’t it fantastic?”

*

“Look! That island in Asia. One of our satellites spotted their base
over there,” one of the men behind the monitors says.

On the screen a big, fortress-like building is shown. In front of it
drive several black jeeps. Then, the camera zooms in. There are two guards in
front of the building, dressed like the terrorists that kidnapped the boy.

“Let’s not waste any time,” Godling says. “We get in there, take out the
bad guys and free the kid.”

Perlin smiles. “Sounds like a plan. Can we fire up the helicopter, Cap?”

“Move out,” Daniels says. “And fast. We’ve got a world to save.”

NEXT ISSUE: Can Godling and Agent Destruction prevent the destruction of
China?

Over mij

I am a dutch writer, writing often in english. My special interests are crime movies and novels, rock music (I am a rock reporter for a dutch site) and comic books.
You can write me at jvdsteen@hotmail.com